I was thinking of getting a new bike or a frame

[seanzzo]

I was thinking of getting a new bike or a frame to build up, What do you all recommend ?
And what do you thing of the K2 Triade??

[seanzzo]

How about this K2 4000 FS frame

[Carbon_Angus]

steal Simon's new bike [smiley=laughing.gif]

The Tirade is okay, I'd look at Santa Cruz, myself.

[smiley=beer.gif]

[Matno]

The Tirade is not a great option. Especially if you ride a variety of technical stuff and like to adjust your saddle height  like I do. (The frame doesn't allow much seatpost lowering). Also, I was under the impression that the Tirade was a bit like the Launch - solid, but heavy for the amount of travel. The lithium is probably a little better choice, but I wasn't impressed with the weld quality (again, big & solid, but not pretty).

I'm a fan of Cannondale's recent designs. In fact, the Prophet and the new shorter travel "epic" bike, the Rush, are amazing. Of course, nobody else makes a Lefty fork, which I happen to think is the best thing going. (Especially if you can get your hands on a TPC+ Lefty Max). Also, the pivot point is virtually identical to that of the K2/Proflex EVO frames, which I think is a "sweet spot" for good riding characteristics - minimal pedal bob plus "dig-in" effect in the granny ring.

The Santa Cruz Blur sounds great, but my buddy who used to manage an LBS that carried them said they all came in for tune-ups sounding like a herd of turkeys (okay, squeaking like crazy - I guess all those pivots require maintenance!) I'd probably go for a Heckler myself. Single pivot simplicity, but great ride.

Also, a plug for platform valved rear shocks: I love my Swinger 3-way air on my '98 5000. It is awesome. Not quite as plush as my Stratos was on small bumps, which is the only weakness of SPV rear shocks, but it feels very efficient while still giving me full travel on big hits. I'm not as much of a fan of SPV forks, but I haven' thad enough time on them on real trails to really form an opinion.